Hi Team! It’s been nearly 2 years since going to France with the young ambassador’s programme ...

Francophones en herbe

He aha te kai ō te rangatira?

He kōrero he kōrero he kōrero

Quelle est la nourriture du leader?

C’est la connaissance, c’est la communication.

What is the food of the leader?

It is knowledge, it is communication.

I was selected last year as one of the 10 young people from around New Zealand to go to France as a Shared Histories Young Ambassador, and commemorate New Zealand's involvement in the war. It was an incredible experience to be a part of the Young...

A week has passed since the trip, and wow! What a trip. Two weeks of amazing memories, and unforgettable experiences. For me, the trip was a highlight reel; each day full of learning, emotion, discovery and of course, our honorary mascot Guillaume Miguel Hyboud-Peron. Guillaume was our bear, was shared amongst us, bought us together and was our French guide (originally from Indonesia)  who took us on the tour of a lifetime.

I feel the best way to describe the trip, is by using the word...

The first big NZ campaign of WW1 is one we know lots about, Gallipoli. It was a shocking and horrifying way to start the war for New Zealand, whose losses were one dead for every six who fought there.

For Rotorua soldiers who went to Gallipoli , it was like how many described it; hell. In Don Stafford's The New Century In Rotorua, Dick Garlid, a Rotorua man serving with the Auckland Mounted Rifles said after the war, “Gallipoli was a starvation hole. Oh, crikey, they were dying like flies. I...

An Introduction to Rotorua and to the Maori Pioneer Battalion.

Rotorua, 1914. The place may seem familiar, but certainly not the date.  Separated by generations, many of us (myself included) find it difficult to relate to WW1 and what the soldiers and their families went through during the war.

To take us back to that time I’m going to explore the Rotorua region of 1914, this blog being the first of a few blogs that look into how the war affected our region and city and the stories and...

La Nouvelle Zélande, 1914. Une jeune nation des 1.1 millions habitants, une nation émergente où presque cinquante pour cent des personnes ont habité à la campagne

Pourquoi La Nouvelle-Zélande?*

La Nouvelle-Zélande en 1914 est une jeune nation de 1.1 million habitants, une nation émergente ou presque cinquante pour cent des personnes habite à la campagne. Après la déclaration de la guerre environ 100,000 personnes ont été enrôlées dans l’armée et alors, ce conflit a touché toutes les familles et les communautés partout dans la Nouvelle-Zélande. Quatre ans plus tard 41,000 sont rentrés blessés et 18,000 ont été tués. Nous connaissons les chiffres et les...

A Wellington Welcoming 

Bonjour à tous!